“Oh, well hello there, Mrs. Wilson. It’s a pleasure seeing you in good health, especially after the last affair with that crazy shooting. Were you hurt too that night? You and I both know the news sometimes leave out important information with names and such.”
Courtland’s hand was still on the small of my back as he encouraged me to keep walking.
“Oh hi, yes. It’s good seeing you too,” I called out to her, not stopping while only acknowledging the front half of her statement.
Red flags didn’t jump at me for running into her again because at these types of events I tended to see the same faces, but an eerie feeling hit my gut that had me feeling nauseated at her mentioning the shooting and how close I was to getting hurt. My mind ran back to the blood and I gagged but fought it down.I wanted to put it off on the new development in my stomach but this was different from the morning sickness I barely had.
I could feel her watching me.
I glanced back over my shoulder to see her still standing there with a nasty ass glare on her face before she realized I could see her. The fake smile and wave were back on then.
My mind flashed back to that night, doing my best to remember.
“Do you know her?”
“No. I briefly talked to her at the last fundraiser right before the shooting happened though. She was by me when everything went down that night.” Courtland looked back just as we reached the entrance and she hadn’t gone into the bathroom as she was now talking on a phone.
“Fuck,” Courtland mumbled lowly as he led me to the truck instead of waiting for valet to assist us.
“Listen, I need you to stay here for me. Don’t open the door for no one, and baby, I mean no fucking one.” I was doing my best not to freak out because I had no idea what was going on. Just as he unlocked and opened the door, we were immediately met by a dead rat pinned to a picture of Quincey and someone whose face was no longer visible in a very intimate manner, along with a note in cut out letters just like the others. Only this time the threat felt too fucking real. Now, panic hit me as a freezing chill ran down my spine. I gasped as my eyes got big.
Now my chest was pounding while I read it again in my head.
I think it’s time that everyone knows the truth about our husbands don’t you, sister wife?
All this meant Quincey hadn’t handled shit or they were still fucking.
Of course they are.
This was the end of everything I’d worked so hard for.
Courtland was busy on the phone so I had more than enough time to spaz in private while my thoughts ran crazy with every possible bit of information that someone knew about Quincey…us. And now all I could hear were Nas’s words about me preventing it from coming out this way.
Fuck!
Johnni, if anyone finds out, it’s going to be bad for us. We can’t let that happen.
You have to get rid of that picture.
I glanced back at the rat when the smell invaded my nose. It was funky as hell, hyping the whole concept that Quincey’s shit was foul and he was a dead man.
Or my shit is foul.
Both of y’all bullshit foul, Johnni. Focus and get the damn picture.
It’s worse for you if you know and say nothing.
Nas’s words began playing in my head. I groaned, hating that once again I was the one who’d found this bullshit. Nas said it would play out because whoever was determined to ruin Quincey, but obviously not enough if they never went to the media first.
“Don’t they know I can’t do shit but be disgusted by the smell of this fucking rat?” I asked myself.
I went to reach for it with shaky hands. I blew out a nervous breath. I was thinking of a way to get past the rat to get it, but physically there was no way. I would have to remove the damn pin.
“Whew, c’mon Johnni. Calm down and just grab it,” I said.
I snatched at my chest, trying to calm my pulsating heart. I wasn’t aware of my chest heaving until the first gag hit me.
This time when I gagged, I lost the battle with keeping my food down. I turned and bent over, trying to block him from seeing me like this, which was impossible.
